It's Arbor Day

Celebrate Arbor Day by planting a tree this weekend.

Why?

A shade tree on the south side of your house can cut your cooling needs in summer, but let the sun shine in during winter.

An evergreen tree to the north can block chilling winter winds.

Trees can certainly add value to your home.

Fruit and nut trees can provide you with a food supply (for wildlife, livestock, or you) that doesn’t need annual digging or fertilizing.

Trees can provide leaves for mulch, or for a valuable addition to the compost pile.

Trees can remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and replace it with oxygen.

Trees can eventually be used as building materials or heating fuel.

Trees provide habitat for wildlife.

Trees can draw nutrients from deep in the soil, and deposit some of those nutrients on the surface, in the form of autumn leaves.

And some trees can even add nitrogen to your soil.

You can get 10 free tree seedlings from the National Arbor Day Foundation.

If you don’t have room for 10 trees, no problem! Share them with your neighbors. (Or just send the extras to me!)